It would seem that the Camden, New Jersey school system has a lot of problems, and that enough parents are withdrawing their children from school to attract attention, an action the headline seems to support. An organization mentioned in the news article, E3, meaning “Excellent Education for Everyone,” has a blog with a running roster of other news articles concerning the the school systems in New Jersey.

Camden parents concerned the quality of education offered in the public schools certainly have a right to home school their children.

The balance of the article, though, consists mainly of one but after another all but warning against homeschooling. In fact, the article begins with just that …

But parents must legally withdraw their children

… and continues on …

Bart Leff, spokesman for the Camden public schools, said many parents failed to follow legal procedures for withdrawing their children.

…

But home schooling is only as good as the curriculum offered. Its success will depend on whether the home-schooling program, launched with the support of the school voucher advocacy group Excellent Education for Everyone, can do a better job of educating the students.

If Alvarado wants her daughter to attend college, it would be easier if the child is prepared to pass the state’s high school proficiency test.

…

Home schooling shouldn’t be just a protest about the quality of public education in Camden. It must ensure that students receive a good education.

An school system is a dangerous place for students to be, but it’s the parents’ decision to homeschool that’s going to keep the kids from getting into college, plus some parents are being prosecuted by these same schools for not withdrawing the children correctly?

After glancing at the articles at the E3 blog, and assuming the truth of incidents such as those mentioned in The Camden Public Schools: A Failure of Management (names from the report that were searched for produced relevant results), it’s curious why the newspaper is so backhanded about the parents’ decisions to homeschool.